Guide to Eastern Shore Grown Produce, Garden Plants, Seafood and Wine Published

Tourists and local people may see acres of corn growing along Route 13, but it’s not always easy to find fresh local produce for dinner. To overcome that challenge, a group of organizations partnered with Resource Conservation and Development, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and the Eastern Shore Tourism Commission to create a guide to local businesses selling Eastern Shore grown fruits, vegetables, garden plants, wine, and seafood. Twenty-seven businesses, including two wineries, are listed in the newly published “Grown on Virginia’s Eastern Shore” guide. Ten thousand copies were distributed to hotels, visitor centers and restaurants. Glenn Custis, one of the few farmers growing sweet corn, said people begin scouting the roadside stands he supplies in late June looking for the first ears. To predict when the corn will be ready to harvest, Custis checks his fields daily to insure the ears are tender and sweet. He cuts only what he plans to deliver each day. Mason Beach Fruit farm offers a pick-your-own orchard with apricots, apples, blackberries, and blueberries. Customers come from as far away as Washington, D.C. to buy crawfish from Jibbey Point farm during the summer. For a few Saturdays in June and July, customers can wander through Sterrett’s Daylily Garden marveling at every color and shape of flower imaginable. Plants are dug the same day they are selected. After July 15th, customers can order from their website. Visitors to the town of Onancock can look for fresh eggs, greens and Hayman potatoes before Thanksgiving at the House of Deals, an eclectic hardware store. Nearby Herbal Instincts also carries locally grown organic produce, as well as fresh cut flowers. A frequent comment by people who have lived their entire life on the Eastern Shore is that they never know these places were right here – until they picked up the brochure.

< Back to ...